Congenital deficit, injury or illness involving one or more lower extremities or the spine or torso can result in the advent of a gait irregularity. Generally an irregularity is the manifestation of an asymmetry in the movement or step pattern of the right and left legs. A gait irregularity can include a step duration, step force, or step form difference between the left leg step and the right leg step. Anatomically, the irregularity can be the result of injury, atrophy, denervation or impaired nervation of one or more muscles or muscle groups, ligament or tendon injury, joint injury or disease, or pain or stiffness of any kind involving the lower extremities, spine or lower torso. An irregularity in the step duration, step force, or step form is commonly referred to as a limp.
Not only is elimination or reduction of gait irregularity an important part of the therapeutic and healing process, it is often essential to prevent the further injury or chronic pain which can be caused by the abnormal stress placed on the body as a result of gait irregularities.
A number of devices are disclosed in the art for gait monitoring or therapy.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,234,982 to Aruin discloses a device which provides for feedback training by the user by providing a signal in response to the change in distance between the legs of the user or between the body of the user and an assistive device.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,485,402 to Smith et al discloses a monitor device which determines and records the number of steps taken by the user during selected intervals. The data is analyzed by a stand-alone computer and reports are generated.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,692,449 to Brown discloses an apparatus and method for sensing and measuring lower extremity position acuity during ongoing movement.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,645,126 to Martin et al discloses a device appended to a treadmill for aiding rehabilitation by varying the belt speed of the treadmill to match the step cycle of the user based upon the leg length or step length of the user.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,557,275 to Dempsey discloses a biofeedback system which uses switches positioned on the patient's body to respond to changes in orientation or position of a body member.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,511,561 to Wanderman et al discloses a device for monitoring the amount of force translated through a patent's heel in each gait cycle and providing an annunciated warning to the user when a pre-selected force limit is exceeded.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,269,081 to Gray discloses a shoe like device for monitoring the force being applied to a user's leg with each step and warning the user if a pre-selected force limit is exceeded.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,858,620 to Sugarman et al discloses a warning system which uses pressure sensors for monitoring the force being applied to an injured part of a user body and warning the user if a pre-selected force limit is exceeded.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,788,976 to Gesotti discloses a movement timing stimulator which provides sensory output to the user when the user's movement timing for particular part of the body, as with a neurological disorder such as Parkinson's disease, exhibits impaired movement.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,678,549 to Cusimano et al discloses a monitoring system for monitoring functional capacity of selected parts of the body of a person.
Devices for monitoring and recording gait characteristics data which are commercially available include the Stride Analyzer™ offered by B&L Engineering, the Life Gait System™ offered by IDEEA Co., and the Gaitrite System™ offered by CIR Systems Inc.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a gait therapy device which is economical, reliable and simple to use.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a gait therapy device which is self-operated by the user.
It is a further objective of the present invention to provide a gait therapy device which provides real-time monitoring and feedback to allow real-time gait irregularity correction by the user.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a gait therapy device which is self-contained and easily attaches to the body or clothing of the user.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a gait therapy device which is readily adaptable to peripheral output and data download.